Quick Answer
ASP.NET Core Web API builds HTTP APIs (REST) without the View layer. MVC includes Views for server-side HTML rendering. Web API returns JSON/XML data consumed by front-end apps, mobile clients, or other services. Both share the same middleware pipeline, DI, and routing infrastructure. Web API controllers inherit from ControllerBase (no View support); MVC from Controller.
Answer
ASP.NET Core Web API is a framework for building HTTP services that return JSON, XML, or other serialized data.
Differences from MVC:
No Razor or HTML rendering
Focused on RESTful services
Controller methods return data, not views
Routing is often attribute-based
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SugharaIQ Editorial Team
Verified Answer
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